


The Wheel of Fortune

by brightasstars



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23393950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightasstars/pseuds/brightasstars
Summary: A trip to the Shadow Market turns out to be the best night off Magnus and Alec had ever planned to have
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 16
Kudos: 110
Collections: Hunter's Moon Fic Recs, Shadowhunters Tarot Challenge





	The Wheel of Fortune

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Tarot Fic Challenge - prompt card - The Wheel of Fortune

_There is in the worst of fortune the best of chances for a happy change – Euripides_

Magnus was holding Alec’s hand tightly as he strolled along Kendall Alley; heading to an old square, concealed from mundane’s eyes. The sky was a deep blue and there was a beautiful full moon spreading her pale silver light on the streets.

There was the entrance to the Los Angeles Shadow Market. The market was located near the Old Town Pasadena and during the day, the site was a parking lot.

It was past midnight and Magnus and Alec had had a date night out in the Hollywood Hills.

They had been married for a year and a half and Alec had never been to the Los Angeles Shadow Market, so Magnus had thought it could have been a good idea, ending their night there.

It hadn’t been difficult to convince Alec to go, since he had been to very few Shadow Markets before and always with Magnus by his side. Strange for a Shadowhunter, but not so strange for Alec, he loved to go to the Shadow Markets, since he loved getting in touch with all the different sides of the Downworld he could get to know and appreciate.

Alec felt free, even if Shadowhunters weren’t welcome in those places.

But he was Alexander Lightwood and he was married to Magnus Bane, so that could make a difference for sure.

Everyone knew that Alexander Lightwood was on the Downworld’s side, that he was without prejudice and that he saw people for who they really where, not on behalf of stereotypes and old stupid beliefs.

The Market was managed by Barnabas Hale, a warlock with whom Magnus didn’t share really a friendly past. Barnabas was basically a cynical man, interested in wealth and money, who distrusted all Shadowhunters and disdained every Downworlder affiliated with them, so it was clear that Magnus and Alec were probably the worst combination ever possible.

Magnus sincerely wished he didn’t have to meet him again. This night was about him and Alec. He had brought Alec there cause he wanted to buy him a bracelet with an arrow he had seen many years ago, and he had also convinced Alec to buy a different bow too, maybe one of the Seelies, since Magnus had always thought that a Seelie’s arch would have become really lethal in Alec’s hands.

At the entrance there was a beautiful girl, who clearly was a werewolf, that stopped Magnus immediately.

“You can come in, but _without him_. He ‘s not allowed to enter.”

Alec stood there in silence; he knew he had to leave Magnus to handle the problem.

Magnus smiled fondly to the girl in his own unique charming way and told her “Dear…?”

“You don’t need to know my name warlock.” Her tone had been too rude for Magnus to ignore it.

“I see Barnabas hadn’t taught you how to be well mannered with clients. I’m Magnus Bane… the High Warlock of Alicante and he is Alexander Lightwood… the Consul…If you just send a message to Barnabas… I think he would definitely clear the way for us…”

The girl flinched. “I…I… didn’t know….”

“That’s why is always polite to ask, before you decide to do anything…” Magnus voice was not angry, but sharp.

“I… I don’t need to call him. You both are on the _all-clear_ list”

“Oh… see? It was easier than you had figured.”

Her cheeks were red and she was staring at the ground. Alec felt so sorry for that girl who was only trying to do her job.

Magnus got past her and entered into the square. While Alec was passing by too, he stopped a moment and told her “You did fine. You were right to stop me if you were told to. Just… next time ask before you make your move. Magnus is a magnanimous warlock… but others would have gone directly to Mr. Hale”

His voice had been gentle, like if he had been scolding his little sister.

She raised her head and smiled to him.

“It’s really true what they say about you Consul Lightwood. You’re kind. Thank you. I won’t forget it.”

The stalls were all lightened with strings of small lingering colored lamps and they sold all the variety of goods ranging from invisibility clothes to sacks of food that never emptied, enchanted rings and pendants, weapons and potions of all tastes and powers. Most of the stalls were owned by Seelies but at the North end of the Market there were places for werewolves and vampires only.

Alec looked like a child strolling in an amusement park.

He was walking around drinking in the colors, the aromas and the atmosphere. He thrived on interacting with the stall holders, each one almost a caricature of bubbly friendliness. They all knew him by his name and surely knew Magnus personally. Some of them had also kept something there, through all the years and centuries, waiting for Magnus to come back and buy it...and he always did.

Magnus weaved through the crowd with his bags getting fuller by the minute. Alec loved him, even when he did this. Magnus was the portrait of liveliness.

Alec had never thought that life could be beautiful and amazing before meeting Magnus. He had always thought that life was just duty, sacrifice, loss and loneliness.

It was so incredible, to be able to enjoy a midnight stroll in a market, with the man that he loved more than his own life.

The air was filled with perfumes, scents of strange and maybe dangerous potions and it reflected a perfect pre-winter chill. There was music all around, but it didn’t feel disturbing. There were tramps with guitars, Seelies playing old lyres, vampires holding harps and even a werewolf playing a violin.

Everywhere it was a hustle-and-bustle, warlocks bumping into vampires and seelies, smell of freshly baked goods and cooking, stalls holders shouting out their incomparable deals, customers haggling over prices, bulging bags swinging into people legs, a cacophony of sounds and Alec just loved it.

He wasn’t really fond of rumor and crowded places, but the Shadow Market was something else.

Maybe it was because he loved Downworlders, he was intrigued by their way of living, and he felt free among them.

“I’m going down there to that stall. But… you can’t come with me… it’s a surprise” Magnus smirked.

“Where’s that one that sells weapons? I’m gonna see that bow while you …buy me something?”

“Nah, nah, nah, nah… you won’t wring any more information from me pretty boy!”

“Stop calling me that. We’re married now.”

“Then what? You’ll always be my _pretty boy_ ”

“We’ll see when I’ll be 70, how much of this _pretty boy_ will be left…” Alec smiled.

They usually never talked too much about him aging and dying… it was just a reality they couldn’t escape from.

Sometimes Alec found himself wishing he could die young, because he didn’t want to become a burden for Magnus.

But every time he realized that dying young would mean having less time to spend with him, he always changed his mind.

The only thing that kept him going, was the idea that Magnus one day could weather the storm and get a second wind.

Magnus stopped in front of a stall that was selling enchanted jewelry. The stall was held by an old Seelie woman named Nerissa. Her stall was always crowded, not only because she sold beautiful handcrafted jewelries, but more also because Nerissa was the holder of an ancient Seelie’s power… she could see with the eyes of the heart.

“Magnus Bane! What a sight! We haven’t seen you down here since… was it 1800 something?”

“It’s Lightwood-Bane now, Nerissa…”

“Yes…I heard that… Marrying a Shadowhunter it’s not really something that goes unnoticed”

“Didn’t mean to let it go unnoticed.”

“So it’s true then?”

“What?”

“What they say about you…”

“Mmm…?”

“That you’re happy now.”

A huge smile filled Magnus’ face.

“It’s true. I am. As happy as I ever dreamt to be. On that note… I was searching for that bracelet with the arrow you were selling almost a century ago…Do you still have it?”

“Oh… I remember that… let me check behind… “

She entered in the back of the stall and lit an old oil lamp. Magnus could hear her hands rummaging between the boxes.

“I must have stored it somewhere back here, since the beginning of the 20th century. Not many still appreciate archery and actually practice it, not even among Shadowhunters. Here it is!”

She returned back to Magnus and showed him the bracelet.

The arrow was made of silver and it was holding together two pieces of braided leather.

It was beautiful and it would have looked perfect on Alec’s wrist.

As his fingers traced soft patterns above the leather, Magnus couldn’t divert his attention from the thought that he had been bewitched by that bracelet almost a century ago.

Why? Arrows didn’t mean anything to him back then.

“Something wrong with it?” the lady asked, making Magnus gasp.

“No…, not at all, far from it, it’s perfect.”

“It was here, waiting for you to come back, you always wanted to buy it.”

“I know Nerissa… that’s exactly what I was thinking of; why would I ever want to buy this one, when I never cared about archers and archery before. I hated weapons!”

“You’re forgetting this is a Seelie bracelet, even our handicrafts can’t lie. You must have recognized that it belonged to you in some ways…”

Magnus casted her a skeptical gaze and smiled.

“Why didn’t you buy this before?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Because you weren’t ready for the meaning it holds…This is a very old bracelet, the legends say the arrow has been forged by Paris’ one…”

“Is the legend of Paris killing Achilles supposed to mean something to me?”

“This arrow probably holds a different meaning for everyone of us; but for _you_ , Magnus Lightwood-Bane...I think it means this: love, sentiments, have always been your Achilles’ heel… your vulnerability… you’ve been hurt so badly you were almost to the point of giving up your life … that’s why you had built walls around your heart… Now you’re ready to gift your husband with the power of being the keeper of your deepest frailty…you are ready to be vulnerable again, because you know he’ll never use this knowledge against you…”

Magnus hadn’t realized she was wrapping the bracelet while she was talking.

Her words had been so true. He wasn’t afraid to love anymore. He trusted Alec to the point of being totally and utterly defenseless in his arms.

“Did I leave you out of words?” Nerissa teased.

“Hem, yes… I think so… “

He paid the sum she asked him for the bracelet and left the stall.

As Alec turned to the left side of the market his sight was struck by a huge Ferris wheel that was rotating upright slowly. It was all lit-up with small blinking colored lights and it looked beautiful. Focusing more carefully on it, Alec noticed that the wheel was made from two mythical creatures battling, a peacock and a snake, it was frightening and attractive at the same time. He kept staring at it and he was feeling like that wheel was calling him, calling him to go up.

Suddenly he felt a warm grip on his right shoulder.

“There you are.” Magnus spoke gently.

“Oh… You’ve been quick…”

“Yes…I remembered the stall from the last time I came here. And I remembered the Seelie who supervised it. And… luckily for me, what I was searching for was still there”

“You’re not really considering the idea of going up there, are you?” Magnus asked worried.

“Why not? It’s beautiful and the sight from above must be… wonderful. More also… I… I…” Alec couldn’t clearly figure out the emotions and sensations that he was clearly having inside himself...

“Alexander… don’t’ tell me you really don’t know what that Ferris Wheel is.” Magnus was astounded.

“No… I don’t… why? What is that?”

“That’s the _Wheel of Fortune_ Alexander. ”

“The Wheel of Fortune? What then? Don’t tell me you believe in fortune Magnus…”

“So you don’t really know…That…That Wheel is enchanted. Sit down Alexander… and listen carefully".

"Look there” Magnus told Alec taking his right hand in his own and pointing to the creatures clearly delineated on the borders of the Wheel.

Magnus kept on.

“On the outer circle is a snake, the Egyptian god of evil, Apophis, descending on the left side. The snake represents life force as chaos. On the right side rises Nekhbet, the Egyptian funerary goddess, she welcomes the dead souls to the underworld. When the _Wheel_ calls to you… it means changes are about to come Alexander…Change seen as the eternal fight between _Life_ and _Thanathos_ , as the constant struggle between living and dying to follow the changes that are meant for you, a war you can win relying only to your inner strength and courage”

Magnus’ eyes had turned instantly sad and lost. His grip on Alec’s hand tightened, he exhaled deep and continued to explain.

“When you go up there you accept whatever changes in your fate the Wheel will bring. It’s usually an opportunity, but it depends if it stops in front of you upright or reversed. When it appears _upright_ it means that very important changes are coming into your life, normally for good, but as you already know Alexander changes are never easy, even if they were meant to be. In this case the Wheel just helps you in what you think are your most important goals”

“And what does that mean when it’s reversed?” Alec asked. His voice showed a bit of tremor. He was scared by Magnus’ words, still he could clearly feel that the Wheel was calling him. He felt the urge to go there, like an unconscious drive that was useless to fight back.

“When the Wheel of Fortune is reversed, you may experience negative events and forces that will keep you down and leave you without strength or hope. Otherwise, the Wheel indicates you that you are somehow resistant to the natural course of the events and this is a helpless fight Alexander. Change in life is inevitable and we must go with the flow.”

Magnus had moved his hand to embrace Alec’s shoulders. He could clearly sense that his husband was drawn to the Wheel, but he was scared to trust the cycle of life. They had had some very bad moments in their past and Magnus had just begun to cherish the beautifulness of a life next to Alexander; a simple quiet life, made of daily kisses and snuggles, maybe kids in the future.

“You feel it, don’t you? You feel it calling to you…” Magnus was on the verge of tears.

Alec turned to face him and kissed him gently.

“Yes, I feel it Magnus. So strongly.” He replied, his voice barely a whisper.

“What is going to happen exactly if we take a trip up there?”

“Ugh… I don’t know _exactly_ Alexander, since I’ve never been there. I’ve never felt that _call_ , each time I saw the _Wheel_ , I never did. As I don’t sense it now. For me, it’s just as attractive as a merry-go-round. So, I infer that if we decide to go up there, it will be _you_ that will undergo through a big change”

“Are you scared Magnus?”

“Yes, I am. I am Alexander” Magnus hugged him with all the strength that he had. “I … I don’t want to lose you, you’re my life.”

“Why… Why would you think that you will lose me? Why the change must be losing each other?”

“I don’t know Alexander, I don’t know anything. Change is not something that you can channel, that you can force or twist under your will or your desires. When you accept it, you take it all, with all its consequences. That’s why I am scared. Because losing you is the only thing that I really fear in this immortal life. It had always been only this, since the day I had met you.”

“Could you save me if something is going to happen?”

“No…magic isn’t working up there…”

“Are you sure something is going to happen?”

“No… I’m not… I just told you what it's said that usually happens…that’s all…”

Alec looked at him with two eyes full of love.

“I feel I have to go Magnus. I don’t know why, but I do. I trust change. Change has brought you inside my life. Let’s go…”

They stood up, Magnus legs were uncertain on the ground. He kept walking clinging to Alec.

When they arrived down the Wheel, they saw it was still and _upright_ , and that there was a Seelie guardian that stood right beside the entrance.

“Consul Lightwood-Bane, it’s a pleasure to have you here with us. Why are you here?” the Seelie asked him.

“I want to take a ride on the _Wheel of Fortune_.”

“Oh… Are you conscious of …”

“Yes, I am. Magnus told me, right now.”

“Oh, Magnus Ba….Lightwood-Bane…it has been a long long time since I saw you here…”

“Yes, it is Kaelie. It must have been a century or so…I was… much younger than now…” Magnus forced a smile.

“…Though you seem happier now…” the guardian replied.

Magnus flinched.

“I am… I… am much happier now… as happy as I’ve never been before…at least until now…”

Alexander looked at his husband.

Why was Magnus so scared he couldn’t understand.

“Well then, give me your tickets Consul.”

Alec handed him two tickets.

“Before you two go up I will remind you the rules of the _Wheel of Fortune_. First of all, by choosing to go up here, you’re willing to accept all the changes the Wheel’s spirit is going to bring into your lives. Second, magic won’t be working during your ride. Third, if the Wheel’s spirit talks to you when you step down, you have to stop and listen to it. All clear?” Kaelie had such a kind voice compared to his huge figure.

“Yes. All clear” Alec answered.

Alec took Magnus by the hand and stepped into one of the passengers’ cabins. They sat one in front of the other.

The Wheel made one short stroll and a young woman with a little girl entered in the cabin right behind them, then the Wheel started to rotate again.

Alec and Magnus sat there in silence, not knowing what to expect from this unpredictable weird night.

As they were rising above the Market and the city, Alec was mesmerized by the glimmering lights beneath them. The sight was breathtaking.

Then his attention was caught by the little girl in the cabin behind them. She was tugging her mum arm, calling her, trying to catch her attention.

But her mum’s gaze was lost in the horizon. Alec could see she was crying. She must have been hurt seriously, Alec thought. 

What kind of change was she expecting from this ride? She had that beautiful little girl, but it looked like she wasn’t aware of that precious life next to her.

Suddenly the Wheel stopped when Alec and Magnus’ cabin was right on top. Alec raised his head and saw millions of stars sparkling.

He looked back right into Magnus’ eyes.

“I love you Magnus. I love you so much.”

Magnus gave him a tremulous smile.

“I bought you this.” Magnus gave him the wrapped gift.

His hands were shaking.

“Is today a special occasion?” Alec asked.

“Every day is a special occasion with you, open it.”

Alec slowly opened the scratch-and-sniff paper with his long fingers. A gasp left his mouth when he saw the bracelet.

“Magnus… this is… beyond beautiful… th…thank you…” he extended his arm toward Magnus to let him close the bracelet around his wrist.

“So… whatever happens now… you’ll have this, to remember this ride we took together, to remember this night, to remember how much I love you…” Magnus’ voice was barely a whisper.

Alec nodded. Magnus’ words seemed full of longing, full of melancholy.

Alec cupped Magnus’ cheek with one hand and pulled him into a kiss as the Wheel started moving again.

They were abruptly distracted from their kiss by the woman’s cries.

“Help me! Someone help me please!”

Alec stood up and followed the woman gaze.

The little girl had fallen from the cabin and was now hanging from one of the iron bars beneath them.

Alec gave a quick glance at Magnus, then he recalled that his magic was out of reach while they were up there.

He didn’t think twice. Before Magnus could even argue, he had already overridden the border of their cabin and started to climb down the Wheel.

Magnus rose on his legs and leaned out the cabin to watch his husband slowly moving toward the little girl. Then he turned to the woman “He will save her, don’t worry. He’ll die himself to save her life.”

The woman looked back to him, but she couldn’t find words to reply back.

In the meantime Alec was right above one of the girl’s hand. She was crying out and trembling from the strive to remain attached to the iron bar.

“Hey there… What’s your name?”

“Tr…Trina…”

“Ok now Trina, you’ve been really brave. I need you to do something for me now ok?”

She nodded.

“Leave one hand on the iron bar and grab my ankle with the other one.”

She shook her head .

“m scared…”

“I know you are. But you’re getting exhausted too. You won’t be able to hang there for much longer. I know you can do that. Grab my ankle and then I will pick you up. Trust me. I won’t let you fall. You just need to help me a bit. Grab my ankle.”

The little girl slowly moved one hand up and clenched her fist around Alec’s ankle and pants. Then she shut her eyes.

In one quick movement Alec brought up his leg, up to his waist and grabbed the girl, encircling her with one arm.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe. Now… put your legs around my waist and your arms around my neck. Hold on tight and don’t let go. I will need both of my arms to climb up again.”

She gave him a light kiss on his cheek and did as he told her.

Alec started to climb up the Wheel. He changed a bit the line that he was following, pointing directly to the cabin where her mother was waiting.

When he thought that the mother was at his arms reach, he shouted.

“Listen carefully to me madam. Now I’m going to take Trina in one of my arms and I will hold her up. You have to peer out from the cabin a bit and grab her hands. When you’re ready, give me a sign and I will give her a strong shove upwards. Did you understand?”

She just nodded. She was crying.

“Trina, you’ve been so good. Now one last effort. Your mum is there, waiting for you. Can you see her?”

She nodded.

“Hold your hands up high. Your mum will grab you from your wrists and then I will push up. I have to do it quickly and as hard as I can, to help your mum. I’m telling you this, so you know what to expect and you won’t flinch or gasp in surprise. We need to avoid any unnecessary movement. OK?”

She nodded again, silently.

“Good girl. Now hands up.”

Trina raised her hands and her mum grabbed her from her wrists. Alec gave a quick glance to her mum and she gestured him that she was ready. He inhaled a deep breath and pushed the girl up as powerfully as he could.

The lady grabbed Trina in her arms and landed her inside the cabin.

Magnus had watched the whole scene from where he was standing and waiting.

He was so proud of Alec, he was so in love. He wanted them to have kids, to build a family.

Then Alec raised his eyes and looked at him.

“Coming back Magnus. Gimme one minute.”

And Magnus smiled. He had totally forgotten the whole _big change_ issue.

As he was climbing back to their cabin, a piece of Alec’s shirt got caught between the iron bars. Alec tried to free it, but he realized that he couldn’t do that without falling.

At the same time the Wheel moved again.

Alec lost his grip on the iron bar and was now hanging from the Wheel, with only his shirt attached to it.

Magnus eyes widened in fear.

“Alec! Alec! Hold on!”

He was moving frantically inside the cabin.

“I’m trying babe.” Alec shouted back.

Magnus leaned out on the other side of the cabin, shouting as loud as he could.

“Kaelie! Kaelie! Stop this shit from moving further! Alec is hanging on the other side! He won’t be able to last if you keep moving this! Stop it! Did you hear me?”

Kaelie hadn’t realized what had just happened above his head.

He turned his waist a bit, just to catch the sight of a tall man hanging from the bars, just from a piece of fabric, fighting to take his legs and arms up enough to grab the iron again.

“Damn Shadowhunter!” he cursed.

He pushed the red button immediately to stop the Wheel.

Magnus was back to Alec’s side.

Alec was pushing his legs up, trying to hook his ankles on the nearest bar.

In that moment Magnus remembered that maybe… a _change_ was about to happen. But it couldn’t be that. No. He didn’t even want to think about it. Alec couldn’t be dying on a stupid Ferris wheel. He was so young. They had a future, they had dreams.

Why? Why did he let Alec take a ride on that stupid Wheel? Why had he given his consent to such a stupid thing?

As panic rose quickly inside his chest, he hadn’t noticed that Alec was almost there, on his way back to his arms.

“Magnus…” Alec’s voice was hoarse “Are you going to help me or are you going to leave me hanging here? You don’t need magic to land me a hand. C’mon.”

Magnus stood there in awe. He couldn’t move.

“Magnus… c’mon. I can’t hold on for so long. I know I scared you, but I’m here.”

Those words broke the bubble where Magnus was trapped in.

He peered out and grabbed Alec from his forearms and pulled him up and then in.

They both landed on the cabin’s floor, panting, but giggling.

Magnus slapped Alec on his head.

“Stupid, reckless man! Were you trying to kill me?” then he pulled Alec in his arms and kissed him all over. On his cheeks, on his eyes, on his forehead, as if he wanted to be sure that his husband was really there.

“I’m sorry Magnus… I… well you know…” and he hugged him, holding him there in his arms.

As the ride was over, the Wheel stopped to let them get out of their cabin.

As his feet touched the ground again Alec turned to Magnus and said “Well, that’s been something.”

“The hell it was! Don’t you ever try doing anything like that again.” Magnus scowled him.

Alec laughed wholeheartedly.

Then Trina and her mum stepped down.

The girl ran straight to Alec and grabbed his legs.

"Thank you sir...you saved me."

Alec kneeled to look in her eyes.

"You're welcome lady. Be careful next time. Promise me?"

She smiled and kissed him gently.

"What's your name sir?"

"Alec, my name is Alec."

As Alec rose up he saw the mother in front of him with her eyes full of tears.

"Thank you... you're the new Consul, aren't you?"

Alec nodded.

"Thank you. I could never find the right words to thank you. You didn't only save my daughter's life today. You saved mine too. I was so lost in my sorrow that I couldn't see how precious this girl is to me. How wonderful is the gift that life has made me, with this girl. Now I know. Now I know that loving her is enough for me to go on. Thank you."

Alec just smiled back.

Magnus was behind him now, gently touching his back.

Then they heard a strange voice coming from the Wheel.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Are you ready for the change I have to deliver?"

Magnus' face paled and Alec gasped.

It wasn't over.

Not yet.

Alec turned in the direction of the voice. He took a deep breath and answered "Yes. I'm ready. We are ready." And he grabbed Magnus' hand.

_I'm not!_ Magnus thought.

"When your husband explained what this _Wheel_ means, he forgot something. Something important. This _Wheel_ is not only about change."

Magnus sagged against Alec’s shoulder.

He wasn’t ready. He will never be ready for anything that could imply Alec leaving him.

The voice spoke again.

“Is also known that the _Wheel of Fortune_ is a reminder that ‘ _what goes around comes around_.’ Be a kind and loving person to others, and you ‘ll receive the same in return. Be nasty and mean, and you will get that back your way. Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you were ready to sacrifice your mortal life to save the life of an immortal kid. What you had just sent out into the Universe has come back your way, in a way you weren’t expecting”

Alec suddenly felt a rush of _something_ inside his veins and Magnus noticed that too.

Nothing seemed different at a first glance. Then he heard his heartbeat. It was _different_. Slower? Steadier? He couldn’t get his mind around that immediately. Then he jumped as he realized. It was _similar_ to Magnus’ one. Was it really possible? Was it really the change that was waiting for him? For them?

Magnus was waiting still, watching Alec’s expression changing from uncertainty, to awe.

He stiffened against Alec’s body.

Then Alec took his hand and placed it just above his heart and as Magnus heard his heartbeat, he understood immediately.

“I told you Magnus. _Change_ is what had brought you into my life the first time. And now… it’s what has given us _forever_. Now I know what that present was for. For this. To remind us of this magical night where you became mine till the end of time.”


End file.
